5 Essential Bullet Journal Pages with Erin Nichols

Like tons of people who start the bullet journal, I felt the need to create every spread and layout that I possibly could. I felt like I had to get all these thoughts onto paper because I was afraid I would lose them forever. This led to something of a burnout about a month after I began my bullet journal. After that, I took it a bit slower. I made my bullet journal a little bit more methodical. Thankfully, I’m not alone in this bullet journal development! Erin of The Petite Planner has undergone a similar journey, and has figured out which collections are truly valuable over a long period of time. I’ll turn it over to her so she can explain the five essential bullet journal pages that she comes back to again and again. Erin, the floor is yours!

-Shelby

Essential and Fun Pages – Finding the Difference

When I first started using the bullet journal system a year ago, I was eager to make every single collection I saw on Pinterest. I flew through pages, adding movie collection spreads, tv series trackers, nail polish swatches, etc. These collections were pretty and fun, but they didn’t add to my overall productivity or self-fulfillment. Don’t get me wrong; I still add plenty of fun pages that add no value to my day-to-day efficiency. But, after more than 300 pages in two different journals, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are a few essential bullet journal pages everyone should try.

I’m not going to bore you with traditional pages like future logs and dailies. Oh no! This gets a touch more personal, allowing you to tune in with yourself emotionally and cognitively. These additional pages will guide your thought process, allow you to reflect on a monthly basis, and really focus in on your goals.

5 Essential Bullet Journal Pages

Mood Tracker

Perhaps you have seen images of these mood trackers floating around Pinterest or Instagram. Boho Berry uses a Mood Mandala, which has become quite popular among the bullet journal community. However, it’s not necessary to know how to draw a mandala or be overly creative with your mood tracker.

The purpose is to be aware of your emotional state each day. Then you record it in your bullet journal, usually in the form of a color-coded system. Each color represents a different emotion or state of mind. For example, I have seven colors. Each represents a specific set of emotions. You can certainly choose your own colors and classify your emotions into as many or as few categories as you want.

Many people use the mandala idea, but there are other options. For instance, many people have created a yearly mood tracker named, Year in Pixels. You can see an example here.

Personally, I designed my own mood tracker to fit my needs. For the month of April, I drew 30 circular shapes on the upper half of my spread. I then added 30 numbered lines below to make brief notes about each day.

The mood tracker is an essential page because it allows you to make connections between your daily productivity and your emotional state. I like to look back at my previous week and find the days that I didn’t get much done. And then, I see how my mood was that day, and what triggered the mood. It’s a great self-awareness tool. It keeps me check with how I’m feeling, instead of overlooking those emotions.

Annual Goals

This is my go-to motivational page when I’m feeling lethargic. It’s the page that contains my big dreams and the ones require the most effort.

I made my annual goals page fairly simple. I brainstormed my goals for 15 minutes, writing down everything that came to mind. Then, I categorized these goals into: Finances, Blog, Family, and Fitness. These are the areas I’m currently most concerned with in my life. Now, I didn’t include every single goal I had brainstormed. I picked the highest priority goals and added those.

If you are just starting your bullet journal, I highly recommend this be one of your first pages, and that you mark it with some washi tape. Make it easily accessible so that you can flip to it regularly.

I recently read a quote that said, “Don’t call them dreams, call them plans.” That quote radiated with me. Make your goals big, and believe with every ounce that you will achieve them. Remember, it’s your journal, your goals, your dreams. So add that family vacation to Hawaii or paying off your mortgage. The importance of this page is to be your driving force, your why. It’s a great resource to use and look at when you’re feeling unmotivated or are questioning why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Master Task List

So, you have your monthly log with your task list, and then you have weeklies and dailies, which also include tasks. But, do you have big tasks that don’t really fit into specific timeframe? Maybe you need to order your child’s birth certificate or do research on a local construction company before hiring them. You don’t know where to note these miscellaneous tasks, so they get left out of your bullet journal and therefore, forgotten.

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Hence, the master task list. This is my running to-do list of extra things that I need to get done, but not right away or even in the very near future. I often reference this page when I have slow days to see which of these things I can get started on accomplishing. Then, I either do the task right away or migrate it to my weekly log to be done within the week.

The master task list is among my top five essential bullet journal pages because it makes up for my not-so-elephant-like memory. It’s quick to use, easy to reference and add to, and it lessens my anxiety knowing that I have these extra tasks written down in a place that I’m certain to see them.

Meal Plan

Whether you are trying to be a more mindful eater or trying to establish and stick to a grocery budget, a monthly meal plan is highly effective. The version I’m using allows space for all 30-31 days on a single page and allows you plan breakfast lunch and dinner.

This is most effective when used to actually plan your meals ahead of time and not write them in as you go. So, to make it, you will vertically write in however many days there are in the month on the left-hand side of your page, leaving one cell to the left to note the day of the week. In the Leuchtturm1917, you will have 24 cells left. Divide them up into 3 equal columns with 8 cells each. Then, title the columns: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. You can also draw horizontal lines where each weekend ends.

I recommend planning out a week’s worth of meals at a time. From there, you can either be sure to reference this page daily or migrate that week’s worth of meals to you weekly spread. The idea is to be able to look ahead and see what you may need to pull out of the freezer or buy from the store beforehand. For people who are trying to watch what they eat, this works to keep you prepared. Then you aren’t left hangry and eating pizza pockets at 7PM on Tuesday night.

Monthly Memories/Reflections

The last essential page on the list is a monthly memories or reflection page. You would add this page in when you create your monthly pages and fill it in throughout the month. I personally use a combination of doodles and brief sentences to jot down important memories or reflections.

While the memories page may be more of a standard journal or diary touch, writing down reflections is a great way to look back, analyze, and then plan for the next month. Perhaps you tried out a new workout class at the gym that was really fun and you’re seeing results. That would be something to write down on this page. On the other hand, maybe you’ve been working a lot of overtime, and you’re starting to feel very tired and overwhelmed. This would also be worth noting.

These reflections are important. Just like the mood tracker, if you don’t intentionally think about how your month went, then it’s easy to ignore it completely. This could throw you off of reaching your goals, being happier, or becoming more productive. In this instance, the quote, “If you change nothing, nothing changes”, applies perfectly.

Make it Work for You

Keep adding your favorite creative collections. The bullet journal system is designed to be flexible and 100% personalized. But, definitely, take the time to sit down and try the above pages for yourself. Try them for a month and see if they help keep you motivated or focused. Maybe you’ll find a better way to incorporate the general idea of the page so that it’s tailored to your life and your needs. The goals of these pages are to save you time, encourage personal growth, and keep you focused on what’s important to you.

I’d love if you shared your essential bullet journal pages with me in the comments! What pages do you use most, and how have they helped you?

*This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click on a link and buy something, I may get a portion of the sale at no cost to you. I have affiliate links so I can promote products and services that I think are excellent. It also helps me make a living off of this site so I can keep creating content for you. Thank you for helping me live my dream!*

About Erin Nichols

Erin is a twenty-something work-at-home blogging mom, organization junkie, and creative spirit. Erin has been blogging for over a year, but recently created The Petite Planner and found her passion for all things stationery and list making. When she doesn't have a pen attached to her right hand, you can expect to find her adventuring through the Midwest, drinking coffee, and spending time with her two children.

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My name is Shelby, thank you for taking the time to visit my site! I hope you leave here feeling inspired and ready to take on life! Read More…

Comments

Hi Shelby, thanks so much for sharing all these wonderful ideas to work on a bullet journal, I love the idea to work adding color on a mandala mood page, I think this would be an interesting project to do on every month.

This had so many good ideas! I especially liked the reflections pages. It’s so easy to forget the small joyous moments, the niceties people extend, and think about the irritating moments in life. I will definitely do this! I also wanted to know if Erin could tell us where she got the great little box holding washi tape. Very nice and organized! Thanks!

Isn’t it a great post? I’m so glad Erin was able to come guest post! I asked her about the washi dispenser, and she doesn’t remember specifically where she bought it. Sorry! There are several options on Amazon, though, that you might find fit your needs 🙂 Have a great day!

I am slowly figuring out what I like in a journal, but the one thing I always get tripped up with are the monthly calendar pages. I need to see a calendar, with blocks for each day, and big enough to write in. However, the ones I’ve tried to print out, end up being too small, so I end up going back to my planner for calendars and daily activities and end up just using my journal for lists, thoughts and other random writings. All that to say, it makes me feel like I’m not using the journal as a one-place-for-everything, which is what I would love for it to be.

I know exactly what you mean about needing a traditional calendar format, Debbie. I’m the same way! I would suggest trying to draw out the calendar boxes across a spread, taking up as much room as humanly possible. No elaborate decor, no thumbnail of next month, no goals or trackers – just the calendar in all its glory. Maybe that will be big enough for your needs. If that doesn’t do it, then you could try using a wall calendar or a desk calendar. While it isn’t ideal, there might be a creative solution to using a separate calendar that will work perfectly for you. It’ll have to be some trial and error to get it right, I’m afraid. I hope that helps!

I have combined the appointment calendar and master task list. I keep the traditional calendar with abbreviations in the boxes, but my master task list/appointment calendar has everything written out in a list format. That is helpful for me. Perhaps it might be helpful for you as well.

Hi! I loved reading through your pages ! You might have motivated me to try again a mood tracker ^^, and your annual goals pages, in the form of a mind map, is veey pleasing, I will try to write down someday, it should work well with the whole level 10 life thing. Thank you !

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Hello there, I’m Shelby!

I’m a 24 year old who has always struggled with productivity. As long as I can remember, I’ve been frustrated by procrastination and my complete inability to get my life together. I set out on my quest and discovered... Read More…